Miami Heat Players Bet Each Other They Could Lose 10 Pounds

After winning their second consecutive NBA title last season, Pat Riley challenged his team to become lighter on their feet as they prepared to defend their crown. Some Miami Heat players decided to wager on it — the results (and sculpted physiques) have been impressive thus far. Per the Sun-Sentinel: “The wager started with Ray Allen. Still, that wasn’t enough for Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers. He needed higher stakes, so he also included LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. The bet: lose 10 pounds in a week. No problem for Chalmers, who completed the task with ease to answer the challenge of his future Hall of Fame teammates. The finished product has Chalmers in the best shape of his career entering his sixth season. ‘[The bet] started with Ray,’ Chalmers said. ‘Ever since then, I just got a little extra push. I’ve just been working harder. We wanted to three-peat. They all said, ‘We need you to be the head of the team, you need to be in tip-top shape and we need you to lead by example.’ The weight loss was overshadowed during training camp because of Allen’s physique gaining all the attention. Chalmers, too, put in the offseason work. He eliminated fried foods and soda from his diet, dining more on salads. ‘I still have a lemonade here and there, but not as much as I used to,’ Chalmers said. The rapid shedding caused strength and conditioning coach Bill Foran to jokingly say Chalmers lost “too much, too fast.” The positive results are already showing. ‘It’s worked out pretty good, actually,’ Chalmers said. ‘I feel a lot faster. It helps me get to different spaces on the court and small cracks easier. [Losing the weight] was more of a conscious thing of winning, helping the team. It wasn’t an individual bet but what can I do to help the team get better.’ James added: ‘It’s made him a little quicker. It’s made him a lot quicker, actually. It’s going to help us out this year.'”